The Light In His Darkness
by Fairytailfanatic247
Summary: (Sequel to Baker Who Lived In A Shoe) The curse on the town of Storybrooke is finally broken. Ava and Rumple try to get their family back together. The rest of the town tries to sort through their memories. Danger, emotions, and drama ensues.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Dun Duh Na Na! Here is the beginning of the second installment of, what I am calling, the Baker Series. Do you like it? Any suggestions on another name to call the series? put it in a review. I would love to know what you come up with. Anyways, here it is. I hope you like it.

Ava POV

The smoke clears and I look around the room. Emma and Henry look confused. I quickly look around and try something out, just for kicks. I wave my hands in front of me and a cloud of blue-green smoke envelops me. When the smoke clears I am wearing clothes. Black combat boots, with high-waisted jeans tucked into them, and a flowy yellow-orange shirt with long puffy sleeves tucked into the jeans. I touch my hair and smile. It is shorter than Rumple's, but longer than Snow's. I tilt my head forward to be able to see the color. It is finally back to it's natural chestnut brown.

"Whoa." I hear a boy say from the end of the hospital bed I still inhabit. I look to the people there and they all have their mouths hanging open.

"Whoa is right, kid." I say with a smile. "Now hurry up and get dressed." I tell him. "Wait, let me." I say. I wave my hand and the boy is engulfed in the same smoke that I had been a minute ago. When the smoke clears he is in the outfit he was in before he was brought to the hospital. "You look good in red, kid. Just like your Grandpa." He smiles at me and begins to run out of the room. I turn to Emma, who still has her mouth hung open. "Everything will be explained later. Now, it is time for a family reunion." I smile and follow the boy. Soon we make it to Main Street. A group of people has already gathered. The dwarves, Granny, Ruby, Snow and Charming, greet each other with hugs.

"So it's true." Emma says as she walks in front of Henry and I. They all turn to us, but they focus in on Emma. Many emotions flash over Snow's face as she walks up to her grown daughter. Emma is wrapped in her mother's arms.

"You found us." Snow says softly, trying not to sob but ready to at any moment. Charming joins the display of affection, which causes me to smile.

"Grandpa?" Henry says as he stands next to them. Both Charming and Snow let out laughs of disbelief. The hug breaks as they look at the boy.

"Yeah kid." The prince says, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I suppose so." Henry hugs his grandpa, and I cannot help but be sucked into the moment.

"Ava?" I hear someone call to me. I look over at Granny and Ruby. My smile grows, if that were even possible. I slowly walk up to them.

"Hello, Widow." I greet my friend.

"I've heard so much about you." Ruby says, drawing my attention.

"Nothing bad I hope." I say.

"Of course not, dear." Widow playfully hits my shoulder. The three of us share a laugh. Our moment is interrupted by one of the dwarves.

"Uh, then why are we still here?" Leroy, or Grumpy, pipes up.

"That, my friend, is an excellent question." Charming answers. I, however, do know why we are still here. I try to back away from the group a little. The little men started to ask about the smoke multiple times.

"Magic." Answers someone who came from the hospital a little after Emma, Henry, and I left. I look to Blue as everyone else does. "It's here." She says. I can feel it. She looks to me, and stares me down until Snow distracts her.

"Yeah," Henry says. "Ava was able to use magic to change her clothes and hair." The boy gestures to me. "You're the blue fairy, can you do something magical?" He asks. Blue looks to me before answering.

"It's not quite that simple Henry." She looks back down at the kid. "Ava and I use magic in different ways. There's no wand or fairy dust for me to use. Our lovely enchantress doesn't need those things."

"Let's go to the person responsible for bringing it." Grumpy proposes. "The Queen." I scoff at that, and everyone turns to me. Emma seems to realize something.

"No, wait." She says. She continues to stare at me. "It wasn't Regina, was it?" She asks me. I look to the ground and begin to rub my necklace charm like a worry stone again. I feel Widow begin to rub my arm gently in support.

Rumple POV

The smoke clears and I turn to my dear Ava's daughter. She is so beautiful, just like her mother.

"My darling Belle." I say with one of my arms around her shoulder. I guide her to turn towards me. "You have to tell me what happened to you."

"I was abducted." She starts simply.

"Regina." I say through my teeth. She nods as she continues.

"She locked me away until her curse, and I've been in the asylum ever since." That witch has finally gone too far.

"For twenty-eight years?" She nods at my words. "All these years, you've been here, alive." I get angrier by the second.

"Is that why you did this?" She asks. "Why you wanted magic? For revenge?"

"Oh no, but it might come in handy." I answer.

"No." She shakes her head. "No." She insists.

"I cannot let this stand Belle. I will not let this stand!" I gradually get louder trying to make my point to the girl. "Your mother was devastated when we thought you had died!" She steps back, as my anger is made clear. She takes a breath before speaking.

"Look, I know mother wouldn't act out on her anger in revenge for this. She would want it, but because of who she is she won't seek the revenge that you seem to want." Her statement is true, but I am very protective over family. Regina will pay for this. Just because Ava won't act out in revenge doesn't mean I won't. "Promise me. Promise me you won't give into your hate. Promise me you won't kill her." I shake my head and think about Belle's words. There is a loophole, but I would have to talk to Ava about what she thinks on the matter. "Promise me, and the three of us can be a family." My emotions are coming to the surface as I think of what our family could be.

"Oh, sweetheart." I whisper to her. "I promise." She smiles and almost tackles me in a hug. I return it as I get a call on my cell phone. Belle steps away as I bring it up to my ear. "Hello?"

 _"Hello, my love."_ I hear Ava's angelic voice on the other end of the line. _"I am calling because Emma and a bunch of other people are on their way to see you at the shop."_ She whispers.

"Thank you for the update, my dear." I say. "I have something important to tell you." I look to Belle in front of me. A crowd, or mob, sounds on the other end of the line. "Is everything alright?" I ask.

 _"Yes,"_ She answers. _"Just a mob that wishes to seek revenge on Regina for the curse."_ She says in an almost annoyed tone. _"I will meet you at the shop, and you can tell me what you wish to tell me once you get there."_

"I will see you then, my love. Stay safe." I say before hanging up. Belle looks at me with curiosity. "That was your mother." I start. "She's going to meet us at the shop. We must go, quickly." I gently guide her in the direction of town.

Ava POV

I hang up the phone as Archie, or Jiminy, runs towards our group.

"There you are." He says to Emma. "Come with me." He says, out of breath. "I need your help. Dr. Whale's whipped everyone into a frenzy. They're going to Regina's house. They're gonna kill her." Sure, she cast the curse, but that is no reason to kill her.

"Great, let's watch." Grumpy states.

"No, no we cannot sink to her level." Archie says. That is exactly how I feel. Although, I know that Rumple created the curse to begin with. "No matter who she is, or what she's done, killing her is wrong."

"He's right." Henry says. Everyone turns to the boy. "Please, she's still my mom." Emma takes little to no time to decide what to do. She looks to her parents.

"We have to stop 'em." She says.

"If magic is here," Charming starts to say.

"Which it is." I say. He looks at me quickly before continuing his thought.

"Regina could have her powers back." We all look back at the mob heading to Regina's house. "They could be marching into a slaughter." Suddenly, everyone starts running to catch up with the start of the mob. I just stand in the street as I watch them go. None of them look back. None of them realize that I am not following. As they disappear around the corner I walk to the pawnshop. I step inside and walk around the counter. I look around for the box Rumple promised to gift me once the curse broke. The bell over the door rings as I finally find the box, held closed by string.

"I hope that is you, my love." I say as I stand up, not looking to the door. "I am just about to open-" I stop my words as I look up to see a person I never thought I would see ever again. I shake my head as I bring my hands up to my mouth. "No, no it cannot be."

"Yes, mother, it's me." She comes over and grabs my hands, pulling them away from my face. "I'm real. I'm alive." My eyes go wide. I tug my hands away as I run around the counter and crush my daughter in a hug.

"I thought you were dead." I whimper. I feel tears stream down my cheeks. As I think about it, I realize something. I pull away from Belle. "What did Regina do to you?" I ask in all seriousness.

"She just abducted me and kept me locked up until today. Someone let me out. I don't know who he was." I hug her once again as a throat clearing is heard. I step away from my daughter with the biggest smile I have ever had on my face. I look to Rumple. "I assume that Belle was the important thing you wanted to tell me about." I say to him.

"Just as sharp as ever, my dear." He says as he walks towards us. "Now, Belle, why don't you take your mother and go find something to wear." I look back at my daughter. She is still in the clothes of an asylum patient.

"Oh, yes, come with me, my dear." I say to her. "I will find something for you to wear. You have spent more than enough time in those awful rags." I say as I drag her into the back office. There is a rack of spare clothes there. I pick out a simple black and white striped one and hand it to her. "I think this one will suit you just nicely." She looks at it skeptically. "Trust me, just try it on." She nods to me as I leave for her to change. As I make it out into the main room of the pawnshop I see that Rumple is looking at something. "What is that, my love?" He seems a little startled. I giggle as I walk closer to him. "I did not mean to startle you."

"It doesn't happen very often." He smiles to me, talking about being startled. I gesture to the medallion in his hand.

"What is that?" I ask again.

"It is something I must use to keep a promise I made to Belle, while still doing what I want." What is he talking about?

"What promise?" I ask.

"I promised not to kill Regina for what she did to the poor girl." I look at him in shock.

"So, this won't kill her, but what will it do?" I am genuinely curious.

"It's a wraith's medallion." He says. "If she's branded by this medallion, and I summon the creature to Storybrooke,"

"It will take her soul." I say, knowing what a wraith is. I look from the medallion to his face.

"Soon, Emma should be stopping the mob you spoke of. Regina will be brought to the cell in the Sherriff's office." He says. I can see the wheels turning behind his eyes. "When she's left alone, I'll go in and brand her." He looks into my eyes searching for approval.

"While I do not approve of this revenge, I think you should go through with the plan." He seems surprised. "How can I let her get away with making me think my own daughter was dead? It is a cruel thing to do to a mother." He nods as he takes my hand and kisses the back of it.

"Have I told you how much I like the new look?" He asks me with a smile.

"Not yet." I giggle.

"Well, I love it." He says. "It's a perfect look for you." I smile at his words as we hear Belle step into the room. I look over at her and my breath hitches.

"Oh Belle," I say, trying not to cry. "You look beautiful." I walk to her and embrace her once more. Once I let go I realize that she has not brushed her tangled hair yet. "Let me go find a brush for you." I say as I go back into the back office. Belle follows me. I eventually find a beautifully ornamented comb and begin to untangle her hair. We sit in silence as the comb slides through her hair with some resistance. Rumple must have gone to mark Regina, for I cannot hear him moving around in the other room. As I finish combing the tangles from Belle's tresses, to my liking, the door to the shop sounds.

"I'm back." I hear Rumple call out. A smile snaps on my face, as if it is a reflex. I look to Belle and she has a matching smile on her face. She gestures for me to go greet him.

"I'll just try and nap for a bit." She says as she points to the small cot pushed up against the wall.

"Okay, sleep well." I walk up to her and place a kiss on her forehead before I enter the front of the shop. I see Rumple making his way behind the display counter. "Ah, my dear Ava." He greets as he looks to me. "Care for a cup of tea?" He asks.

"I would love some." I answer. "Belle is going to try and get some sleep on that cot out back, so she will not be able to join us." He nods to me as he breaks out a hot plate, fills a metal teapot with water, and he begins to heat up that water. I hop up to sit on the counter next to the heating teapot. "So," I start as we wait for the water to boil. "Did you go through with what we discussed?"

"Of course, my love." He says, looking into my eyes. A smirk lightly tugs at the corner of my mouth.

"I think you are a bad influence on me." I laugh, and he returns the laugh.

"Perhaps, but I also think you have been a good influence on me. I believe we even each other out." The teapot begins to whistle. Rumple turns the hot plate off and pulls out a few teacups that match the teapot and a few tea bags.

As he begins to pour the liquid into the cups the bell over the door to the shop rings. I look up and see Emma, Snow, and Charming. I smile warmly at them, but they do not look happy. I jump off the counter and look to Emma as she stops in front of us. She has fixed a glare at Rumple. He places the teapot down before speaking to the woman.

"What can I do for you?" He asks Emma.

"What you can do is tell us what you did." The blonde woman says.

"Could you be more specific?" I ask.

"You know damn well what we're talking about." Charming directs his words towards Rumple.

"Language, Charming." I warn with a slight glare.

"Whatever it is you did to this town." Snow clarifies.

"You mean the magic?" I ask. Rumple makes his way around me so he can stand on the other side of the counter.

"Allow me to answer some of your questions with some of my own, alright?" He says. Where is he going with this? "Is the curse broken?"

"Yes." She answers simply as she crosses her arms in front of her.

"And let's see, uh, Miss Swan, how long have you been searching for your parents? Looks like you're reunited." I look to Snow, and she has a soft, almost apologetic, expression on her face as she looks to me. "Seems like I deserve more of a thank you."

"Twist my words all you want." Emma states in a stern tone. "What was the purple haze that you brought?" Rumple looks to me with a smile.

"As Ava said before," He waves a hand flamboyantly in the air. "Magic."

"Why?" Snow asks. Rumple looks past Emma to the woman.

"Not telling." As soon s he finishes his words the ground begins to shake beneath us. It rattles many of the objects in the shop. I brace myself on the counter so I do not fall to the ground. As the shaking stops car alarms can be heard outside.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asks as Snow and Charming take a look outside.

"That is my gift to you." Rumple says calmly. "That is gonna take care of Regina." The ground shakes again as telephone and electric wires spark outside.

"Emma." Snow calls to her daughter. "Come on."

"We need to go take care of this." Charming adds. Emma glares at Rumple once again.

"We're not done." She says to him.

"Oh I know, and you still owe me a favor." He replies, pointing to her. Emma then turns to follow her parents out of the shop. Once we are alone I hear Belle walk out of the back room. I go over to you immediately and look her over.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I ask as I check for injuries.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She takes a hold of my hands and brings them down before she looks past me to Rumple. "You lied to me."

"No. I-I kept my word." Rumple slightly stutters. They must be referring to the promise not to kill Regina. " _I_ will not kill 'er." He emphasized the loophole in the promise made. Belle looks like she is going to cry as she walks closer to him.

"No," She whispers. "You toy with words, like you do people." Rumple and I share a glance as Belle continues. "You're still a man who makes wrong choices." Rumple looks down to the floor. "I thought you'd changed."

"What? In the hour you've known me?" He asks snapping his head back up to look at her.

"Rumple." I warn from behind Belle. She turns to me and I can see her eyes welling up with tears.

"How can you continue to stay by his side, the way he is?" I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. She decides not to wait for an answer from me and runs past Rumple.

"Belle," He calls to her as she makes it to the door. "I-I'm sorry." She opened the door. "Belle, I'm sorry." She turned to look at him. "I am." She left anyway and slammed the door before walking off. I just stand here in shock. Once again my daughter walks away from me. Rumple turns towards me. "Ava." He says softly as he comes closer to me. "She'll come back." He lifts his right hand up to my face, caressing my cheek.

"You do not know that for sure." I say, feeling something run down my cheek. Rumple wipes it away with his thumb.

"You gotta have faith, my love." He says. He looks over to the tea. He grab one of the cups and holds it out to me. "Why don't you drink this tea as I set up my spinning wheel in the back room. When you're finished with the tea you can get some sleep." That sounds nice actually. I grasp the teacup and sip at the warm liquid. "If she decides to come back she'll come here." I nod in agreement.

"I do love the sound of the spinning wheel." I smile at him, and he returns it. I stay out of the way as he takes of the suit jacket and sets up the spinning wheel in the back room. It took about half an hour. I watch as he sets up the wool and starts to spin the wheel. By that time I am done with my tea, so I decide to try and get some rest. I lay down on the small cot as the sound of the spinning wheel lulls me to sleep.

I dream of a horrifying room filled with fire. I try to escape, but the flames are too hot to walk through. I cry out for someone to help me. Rumple, Belle, Snow, Archie, August, and even Henry's name escapes my lips in fear. I need someone to help me. I need to get out. Will I ever get out?

Rumple POV

I watch as Ava falls into a deep sleep. She looks peaceful, but I fear there is something disturbing her in her dreams. Some time goes by before I hear the front door to the shop open. Light footsteps slowly make their way towards the door to the back room. The curtains are pushed out of the way. I look over and I notice the light hitting the wall and counters behind her. Is it really morning already?

"Hi." She says.

"Hey." I say in response. I watch as she glances to Ava's sleeping form on the cot. Her expression is one of guilt.

"I, uh, went for a long walk." She says as she walks towards me.

"I thought you didn't want to see me."

"I didn't." she says. "But I, I was worried." She glances back at her mother.

"Well, the beast is gone." I say, referring to the wraith. "Regina…lives." I can still feel her presence in this small town.

"So, uh, you didn't get what you wanted." She states.

"That remains to be seen." I say glancing at Ava. I can tell something is going wrong in her dreams. If she doesn't wake up soon, I'll have to wake her myself. I then notice Belle look past me to the small table set up next to my spinning wheel, and she smiles. She moves around me and picks up the chipped teacup.

"You, uh," She walks back in front of me. "You still have it." She says as she lets out a soft laugh. "My chipped cup." I nod my head to answer her. Then I stand up and take the cup from her.

"There are many many things in this shop," She lets go of the fragile object. "But this? This is the only thing I truly cherish." She smiles at me. "And now you must leave." She flinches at my words.

"What?"

"You must leave, because despite what you hope," I pause, trying to figure out the right way to say this. "I'm still a monster." She smiles and lightly laughs. That's a strange reaction to what I just told her. She rests her hands on my shoulders.

"Don't you see?" She says. "That's exactly the reason I have to stay." I am confused as to what she is actually saying. She must have noticed my confusion because she clarified. "Clearly it's going to take more than my mother to suck the darkness out of the Dark One." She laughs. She still doesn't understand the relationship that Ava and I have. I need the magic to get Bae back. Ava understands that, and she even helped in some ways.

The thoughts of Ava draw me back to her sleeping form. I walk over to her and sit on the edge of the cot. I brush a few locks of hair out of her face. My hand caresses her cheek as I call out to her softly. Her face scrunches in pain before she snaps her eyes open. She gasps as if she has not been able to breath. She looks around the room frantically. When her eyes meet mine she begins to cry. I pull her into my chest and try to calm her down. I rub her back to sooth her.

"Shhh. It's alright, my love." I say softly. "It's alright."

"Oh, Rumple." She sobs. "It was awful." I pull away from her so I can see her face. She looks terrified.

"What is it? What happened?" I ask. She takes a few deep breaths to try and calm herself enough to explain.

"I was in a room of fire, and I could not find a way out. I tried to call out for anyone and everyone to help me, but there was no one." She lets out another sob as I pull her close to me again. This is no doubt a side affect of the sleeping curse she was under. Sadly, I do not have anything I can give her. There's nothing that can stop her from going to that place every time she sleeps. I look up at Belle with a worried expression. The girl's own expression matches mine. I kiss the top of Ava's head as I try to think of anything that could help her. I hate this feeling of helplessness. It's the reason I wanted magic in the first place. I don't want to feel this way anymore.

A/N: So, did you like it? I wanted to get this out because a lot of you wanted the Belle and Ava reunion. I probably won't be updating this often. I have many other stories I have to keep up on. But I really like this story so far. If you have any comments or questions just write a review. I will try to reply to them, if not directly then in the Author's Note of the next chapter. I can't wait to hear from you.


	2. Chapter 2

Ava POV

We went to the house that night. I hoped that being in a more familiar and comfortable setting would ease my nightmare. But, I had been very wrong. I tried to sleep only once more at the house. I traveled back to that room of fire. Rumple must have sensed my discomfort and woke me. Needless to say, I lay awake in bed the rest of the night with Rumple's arms wrapped around me. I should feel safe in his embrace, but I cannot risk going back to that place. Rumple tried to stay awake with me, but he slipped into a deep sleep. Jealousy bubbled up a little, but maybe it is just because I am tired.

I watched the window as the sun came up, and eventually I feel my love's breathing becomes less even behind me. He pulls me closer as he begins to wake. I feel his breath on the back of my neck. Then his lips meet the same skin. The tension in my muscles disappears as I let out a breath.

"Did you get any sleep, my love?" He whispers the question.

"I'm afraid not." I answer truthfully. He sighs before kissing the back of my head.

"I wish I could help you." He says. I remain quiet. "Perhaps once we leave this town the nightmares will fade.

"I hope so." I reply, my voice cracking. He loosens his grip just to gently turn me to face him.

"Look me in the eyes, Ava." I do as he says. "We will find a way to fix this. I promise." He kisses my forehead as my phone starts to ring. I take a deep breath as I sit up in bed. I grab the phone from my nightstand and answer it before looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

" _Hey, Ava_." I hear Red's voice. " _I could really use some help here_." I scrunch my face up.

"Where is 'here'?" I ask.

" _We're down at Town Hall_." She starts. " _Everyone's putting up posters of loved ones that they can't find_." I just sit there thinking about that for a few seconds. I know at least two people who could be searching for someone. " _And so many people had their homes destroyed by the Wraith_."

"What is it you need help with?" I ask as I get out of bed and change into some new clothes for the day, same color scheme and style as the day before.

" _Blue needs some help handing out supplies, and you're great at helping people. Maybe you could help find someone's family member_." She spouts off. I can hear her heavy breathing. She must be running around trying to do the things she just suggested to me.

"Okay, I will be there soon. I think I have some leftover baked goods from yesterday. I'll grab those and head over." I tell her as I grab my light jacket and head downstairs.

" _That actually sounds great. Thanks_." She says.

"Okay, see you soon." I say as I hang up. I turn to look back up the stairs. "Rumple?" I call to him. He makes his way to the top of the stairs.

"Yes?"

"I am going to help out at Town Hall for a while."

"Would you like me to drive you?" He asks. I think about it for a moment as I put on the light jacket before shaking my head.

"I think I'll be fine walking. I think some fresh air will do me some good." I flash a smile to him before realizing Belle was still in her room. "And keep her safe." He nods.

"Of course." With that, I head out the door and walk towards the bakery. The cool morning air calms me down. I turn onto Main Street and am surprised by the destruction. Overturned cars litter the torn up street. I see a sign in front of the Diner announcing that they were closed. I rush to the bakery and breathe a sigh of relief that there is little to no damage to the shop. I rush in to get what was left over from the other day. I pack up the sweets and head over to Town Hall.

As I get closer to my destination, I see more and more people. The first table I reach has a canopy propped above it to create shade. I see Blue walk towards me and grab on of the boxes of baked goods from me.

"Oh, thank you, Ava." She says with complete gratitude. "This will help out a lot." I follow her to the table with the canopy and set down the boxes. I look around at the craziness.

"Where do you need me the most, Blue?" I ask.

"Um, well, we need help with everything." She thinks a second before thinking of something. "I need to help with the medical tent, could you stay here and man the main table?"

"Sure, no problem. What do you want me to do?"

"I've been making a list of people that are still missing." She says, gesturing to the paper with a list of names and descriptions. Many pads of unused lined paper sits next to the one being used. I feeling lucky that I know where my family and loved ones are. I nod my head as she walks towards the medical tent. I sigh and sit at the table. I go through the names already listed. Many of the names I do not recognize, until I come across one. Pinocchio. The name reminds me that I have not seen August in a couple days. Even I do not know where he would be.

A woman comes up to the table and breaks my train of thought. I write down the name of the person she is looking for and what they look like. After that, it seems like the line in front of my table is unending. The sweets go quickly. As people start thinning out, going to the school to grab a cot or into the Town Hall to wait for something to happen, I start putting the list of names in alphabetical order on a seperate sheet of paper.

"Hey, Ava." An out of breath nervous voice says from in front of me. I look up at Archie.

"Pinocchio's already on the list, Jiminy." I tell him.

"Oh, I know. Um...And please, just keep calling me Archie." He says. I squint my eyes at him before nodding. "I actually came over to see if I can match up any names from my sign up sheet to the missing people."

"Sure, I actually just finished putting the names in alphabetical order."

"Amazing." He says. I hand him the list as I begin to sit back in the chair. It takes a couple minutes for him to look through all the names. I rest my eyes and take deep breaths. I am so tired. "Are you alright, Ava?" Archie asks me. I open my eyes before answering.

"I am fine Archie." I answer him. He does not question it. He just nods and walks back over to the bulletin board with layers of missing posters tacked to the surface. I look around and notice Henry sitting on a blue medical supply box with the storybook on his lap. Soon, he reacts to someone running up to him. I notice that it is Charming. Once people spot the prince, they swarm him with questions. As he walks through everyone he keeps answering that he does not know the answer right now. He then starts talking to Blue, but they are close enough that I can hear the conversation.

"Blue!" He calls out. "Could there be a tree on this side, the way we sent Emma through as a baby? Maybe I could go after 'em that way." What is he talking about?

"It's possible, but without fairy dust to guide us here," She thinks about it before continuing. "No, it's hopeless."

"You'll find another way." Henry pipes up. "In the book, things always look worse right before there's good news."

"TERRIBLE NEWS!" We hear someone yell. We all look towards the yelling and see the dwarves all running towards the group of people gathered in front of Town Hall. "TERRIBLE NEWS!" I see that it is Grumpy yelling at the front of the group of dwarves. "We were out at the town limits." He turns to Sneezey and grabs his arm as I stand up from the table. "Tell him who you think you are, Sneezey!" He orders the man.

"Oh, will you stop calling me that?" Sneezey says. "You know who I am. Tom Clark. I own the Dark Star Pharmacy." He answers. But, he remembered who he was yesterday. What happened? More people gather around the prince and dwarves. What's goin' on here?" he asks.

"If you cross the border," Grumpy starts. "You lose your memory all over again."

"And coming back doesn't fix it?" Archie asks. That is a stupid question.

"If I did, would I have come running in yelling terrible news?!" Everyone starts to mumble their concerns. "If we leave, our cursed selves become our only selves." As people start asking Charming more questions I sneak away from the distracted crowd. I rush to the Pawn Shop, hoping Rumple has decided to come into town. I enter the shop and the bell rings as I open and close the door.

"Rumple! Are you here?" I call out. My love exits the back room with a concerned expression.

"I'm here, what's wrong?" He asks, as I walk towards him. He brings me into the back room and sits me on his chair to calm my breathing.

"I was helping out at the Town Hall." He nods, pausing for me to continue. "The dwarves had been at the town line a-and..." This information is going to ruin the whole plan. I go to finish my words when the door bells sound. I look to the doorway of the backroom then back at Rumple. He pauses a moment before walking into the main shop room. I follow right behind him. As we enter the room I see it's Regina. I glare at her on reflex. How dare she come here? And it looks as if she's trying to find something.

"The library's beneath the clock tower." Rumple speaks letting Regina know we're here. She stops what she's doing and looks to us. "You closed it, remember? When you still had power." Rumple grabs an item off the counter and starts walking over to where it belonged. I stay put, keeping myself between the two of them.

"I need the book." She says. "I need to get my son back." She seems frantic, and I know the feeling. At least she doesn't believe him to be dead. I wouldn't wish that on anyone including her.

"Which book?" Rumple asks, pretending he didn't know what she was talking about. "Oh." He chuckles. "So it's come down to that, eh?" I keep my eyes on her as she walks across the shop to get closer to Rumple. They're only separated by the counter. "You need your mummy's help." I walk closer to them and then hop on the counter behind the display counter.

"Give me the book," Regina demands. "And tell your little birdie to stop glaring at me." She shoots a glare my way as she finishes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't control her actions." Rumple replies with a smirk. "You're just going to have to deal with her glaring a hole through your head." That comment caused me to let out a light chuckle. "Perhaps you're just jealous that she can easily use her magic here, and you seem to need the smell of the written word to get your magic flowing again." That seemed to surprise her. She looks at me again and I know I have the biggest smile plastered on my face.

"Maybe if you were a bit more relaxed, it would come easier." I tell her.

"I don't have time." She replies. "It worked once. I know I can do it. I just- I just need a shortcut back."

"Yeah, well, I don't have time either." Rumple tells her. "Leave." He pauses a second. "Please."

"Well...How about that?" She asks. "Your 'pleases' have lost their punch." I hop off the counter and stand next to My Love.

"Well, the fact remains jump-starting your magic is not in my best interests." Rumple tells her.

"You know what else isn't in your best interest?" Regina asks him. "Having everyone know the Enchanted Forest still exists. Knowing that you, your little birdie, and I are keeping that little secret. You're up to something." She looks at the luggage case on the display counter. "And it doesn't involve going back home." She pops the lock to see what's inside, but Rumple slaps his hand down on the lid to keep it closed. He looks to me for a brief second before conjuring the book Regina wanted in the palm of his hand.

"Careful, dearie." He says. "These are straight-up spells. Rough on the system." She grabs the book from his hand.

"I don't care if they turn me green." She seethes. "I'm getting my son back." Then she turns and heads towards the door.

"Oh, my." Rumple comments, causing Regina to turn back to look at us.

"What?" She asks angrily.

"It's just holding that-I told you once you didn't look like her, but now..." I can tell by her expression that the words are getting under her skin. "Now I can see it." She takes a small gasp of a breath before turning to the door and finally leaving. "I should probably finish packing." He looks at me and I smile. How am I supposed to tell him what happened earlier? He was looking forward to this, and I was too. I watch as he packs maps of New England states including Massachusetts and New York. As he sets them all out on the table, making sure he had all the ones he would need, I finally decide to voice the information I had learned about the town limits.

"I have to tell you something, My Love." I begin, but before I could say anything more the bells over the shop door rang out. I look over to the door, annoyed.

"It appears when I bought that 'closed' sign, I was just throwing my money away." Rumple speaks as he turns around and sees what I see, Charming standing at the door.

"Looks like it." Charming replies. He walks up to the counter, and my expression turns to one of guilt. Sure, I didn't let loose the wraith on the town causing Snow and Emma to be sent to another world. But I didn't stop Rumple when I probably should have.

"I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to Snow and Emma." I tell him. He sends a small nod and a soft look my way before looking to Rumple.

"If you're looking for a retrieval, I'm afraid portal-jumping is just outside my purview." Rumple tells him.

"Of course it is." There is a long silence after Charming's words and I hear someone getting out of a car outside and a conversation happening as well.

"So, what's the commotion outside?" Rumple asks.

"A little stir at the border. A problem crossing the line." Charming's words break me as I look down to the floor. I wish I had been the one to tell him this.

"Do tell." Rumple is confused by his words, but is trying to hide it.

"Actually, I'm here to buy something," he says. "A way to find someone."

"What, like a map?" Rumple asks.

"Something with a bit more kick, like the ring you gave me to find Snow."

"Ah, yeah. Magic." Charming nods with a smile on his face. "Whom are you following?"

"Not telling." I understand the Prince, but we would need something of theirs anyway.

"Maybe you have something of theirs, the person you wish to find?" I ask him.

"Yes, of course." I nod at his answer.

"May I see it?" Rumple asks.

"No." Charming replies. I roll my eyes at this macho man stand off. I look to Rumple and try to communicate that he should just give him what he wants. He sees this and turns to his briefcase. He opens it and pulls out a glass container of a blue-green liquid. He turns back to the prince and holds the container out to him.

"Pour this on the object and then follow it." He instructs. "So simple, even David Nolan could do it." I roll my eyes. Charming goes to grab the container, but Rumple takes it out of his reach.

"What do you want?"

"Peace." Rumple answers. "Leave me and Ava alone." Charming chuckles a bit.

"What do you care what David Nolan does?"

"No. No. It's- It's Charming I worry about." Rumple clarifies. "I'd like a little...non-interference guarantee."

"Fine. If you give me the same." Charming agrees. "You and I- We stay out of each other's way."

"Thank you for your business." Charming takes the container and goes to leave. Now I can finally tell Rumple the bad news about the town line. Before I can voice the information Rumple calls out to Charming. "So, uh, what happens when you try and cross the border?" Charming turns back to look at us before answering.

"You lose your memory of everything of our old lives." Charming answers. I let out a breath and look down at the ground. "Looks like we're stuck here." With that, Charming leaves. There is a silence between Rumple and I in the shop. Suddenly, he lifts up his cane and smashes some of the glass display cases in anger. I flinch at the sound. He looks to me before dropping the cane and leaning on the frame of the display case that is still standing. His frustration is clear. I knew his reaction would not be good. That is why I hoped I would be the one to tell him.

I feel tears prick at my eyes as the gravity of the situation finally sets in. We were so close to our goal. To finding Bae. But it seems like we keep hitting roadblocks. I feel a hand on each of my shoulders and I look up at Rumple. His features show his new determination to get past this, hopefully final, challenge.

"I will not stop until we have all of our family together, My Love." He tells me. He takes a hand from my shoulder and caresses my cheek. His thumb wipes away one of the many stray tears making their way down my face. "I will find a way." Then he leans forward and places a kiss to my forehead. As he pulls away I nod and wipe the tears from my face. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down.

"I will go bake something." I tell him in a hushed tone. He takes a breath as well and steps away to give me a pathway to the door. "Any requests, My Love?"

"You know I'll eat anything you bring me." I nod at his answer before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek and leaving to head over to the bakery. I need to do something familiar. Something calming. Something mindless. Something to distract me from everything else going on. I enter my bakery and head straight for the oven, turning it on to warm up. I then put my apron on and get to work. I make doughs for cookies and bagels. I prepare batter for cupcakes and pastries. Anything I could think of, I made. I lose track of time until I hear someone walk in. I look over to see Marco, or Geppetto, taking his hat off.

"Ava dear." He speaks as he smiles sadly.

"Geppetto." I reply. He looks around at all the things I've baked and chuckles.

"Somehow I knew you would be baking at a time like this." He says, causing me to smile.

"What can I say?" I chuckle. "I am a stress baker." He joins me in a chuckle before a slight moment of silence comes between us. The timer dings and I put on my oven mitts to take out the tray of sugar cookies. I set them on a cooling rack before turning back to Marco. "I have not seen Pinocchio, if that is what you are here for." The entire time I was making that tray of sugar cookies I was thinking about places he could be. I feel awful. I've been distracted and he has just sort of been pushed to the back of my mind.

"It was, but I also wanted to be around a more familiar face." He says. "Now that I know who you actually are." I smile at him and turn off the oven. We sit down and talk as the cookies cool. We talk about the old days. Everything we could remember about our lives in the Enchanted Forest. Then we talked through our second lives here in Storybrooke. It was almost therapeutic. When the door sounded again we both looked to see Ruby.

"I knew I smelled your baking." She smiles. "Granny decided to open up the diner."

"Well, I do have some baked goods she can sell." I say as I stand up. "I've been stress baking for half the day." She chuckles and I join in as I begin to box up my usual delivery order for the diner. Marco joins us in bringing it over. Once everything is sorted out with payment Marco and I sit at one of the smaller tables in the diner. Ruby goes back to work and brings us some coffee and tea.

As we drink our warm beverages in silence I see Henry and Charming walk in. Henry looks almost excited as he comes over to our table. Remarkably, he tells us where he believes Pinocchio should be. We look at each other before standing up and heading straight for the room Henry spoke of. When we get there, the door is ajar. My heart skips a beat. This can not be good. Marco pushes the door open and we enter. I hope to see August, but all I see is a room empty of any person. We look around and realize that his belongings, including the small hat he used to wear as a child, are all still here. We share a sad look before deflating emotionally.

Where could he have gone? Maybe he is looking for us. But, he knows where I would be. He knows how to find Geppetto. Is he running? If he is, why? I feel tears prick at my eyes once again. I hope this does not start happening on a regular basis. I do not think my tear ducts can handle it. Geppetto pulls me into him and rubs my back to try and console me. Something does not feel right. Pinocchio must be in trouble. But why not come to one of us if he is in trouble? I would try and find him, but the liquid rumple gave Charming will not be able to spread that thin. I do not know what to do.

A/N: Well, well, well, it sure has been a long time. I'm really sorry for the long wait. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I would love to know what you all think.


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